Search Results (3)

Trihelix transcription factors (TTFs) are light-sensitive proteins characterized by a triple-helix structure that play a crucial role in regulating plant growth and development, especially in response to abiotic stressors, such as drought and salinity. This intriguing family of proteins has been the focus of extensive functional studies across various plant species. Despite their recognized significance, the trihelix family in Populus euphratica has not been thoroughly explored, warranting more attention. This study identifies 35 full-length trihelix genes in Populus euphratica, which are grouped into five categories (GT-1, GT-γ, GT-2, SIP1, and SH4) based on their conserved motifs and structural similarities, and these genes are unevenly distributed across 19 linkage groups on the chromosomes. A syntenic analysis was conducted in P. euphratica, comparing it to various other species. The promoters of P. euphratica contain numerous stress-responsive cis-elements, indicating the potential for these trihelix genes to respond to abiotic stress. RT-qPCR analysis discovered significant induction of the trihelix gene family in response to drought and salt stress, with 21 PeuTTF genes exhibiting distinct expression levels under drought conditions and five PeuTTF genes responsive to salt stress. Notably, heightened expression of PeuTTF6, PeuTTF9, and PeuTTF20 was observed in both roots and leaves during drought stress, suggesting that TTF expression is connected to the plant’s response to such conditions. Additionally, significant increases in expression were noted for PeuTTF2, PeuTTF31, and PeuTTF32, which may be convoluted in the response to salt stress. These discoveries highlight the role that PeuTTF genes play in improving drought tolerance in P. euphratica plants. We offer new perspectives on the evolutionary trends and variants of PeuTTF genes in P. euphratica, and we establish the groundwork for understanding the functional properties of PeuTTF genes under salt-stressed and drought-stressed conditions. This study provides opportunities for the advancement of desert poplar agriculture and may have wider ramifications for tree plant breeding techniques targeted at improving tree performance and durability, particularly in dry areas. Full article

Orofacial clefts affect hundreds of thousands of children worldwide annually and are usually corrected by a series of surgeries extending to childhood. The underlying mechanisms that lead to clefts are still unknown, mainly because of the multifactorial etiology and the myriad of interactions between genes and environmental factors. In the present study, we investigated the role and expression of candidate genes belonging to the FGF/FGFR signaling pathway and FOX family in tissue material obtained from 12 pediatric patients undergoing cleft correction surgery. The expression was investigated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and chromogenic in-situ hybridization (CISH) in three cell/tissue types—epithelial cells, connective tissue, and endothelial cells. We found elevated expression of FGFR1 in epithelial cells while no expression was observed in endothelial cells. Further, our results elucidate the potential pathogenetic role of FGFR1 in cellular proliferation, local site inflammation, and fibrosis in cleft patients. Along with bFGF (also called FGF2), FGFR1 could play a pro-inflammatory role in clefts. Over-amplification of FGFR2 in some patients, along with bFGF, could potentially suggest roles for these genes in angiogenesis. Additionally, increased expression of FOXE1 (also called TTF2) contributes to local site inflammation. Finally, zero to low amplification of FOXO1 could suggest its potential role in inducing oxidative stress in the endothelium along with reduced epithelial apoptosis. Full article

Recently, ER stress induced by tunicamycin (TM) was reported to inhibit the expression of key genes involved in thyroid hormone synthesis, such as sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin (TG), and their regulators such as thyrotropin receptor (TSHR), thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), thyroid transcription factor-2 (TTF-2) and paired box gene 8 (PAX-8), in FRTL-5 thyrocytes. The present study tested the hypothesis that resveratrol (RSV) alleviates this effect of TM in FRTL-5 cells. While treatment of FRTL-5 cells with TM alone (0.1 µg/mL) for 48 h strongly induced the ER stress-sensitive genes heat shock protein family A member 5 (HSPA5) and DNA damage inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3) and repressed NIS, TPO, TG, TSHR, TTF-1, TTF-2 and PAX-8, combined treatment with TM (0.1 µg/mL) and RSV (10 µM) for 48 h attenuated this effect of TM. In conclusion, RSV alleviates TM-induced ER stress and attenuates the strong impairment of expression of genes involved in thyroid hormone synthesis and their regulators in FRTL-5 thyrocytes exposed to TM-induced ER stress. Thus, RSV may be useful for the treatment of specific thyroid disorders, provided that strategies with improved oral bioavailability of RSV are applied. Full article